Archive By Section - Other Views

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have suffered for several years now from irritable bowel syndrome. I believe my symptoms began after back-to-back bouts of food poisoning, possibly norovirus. That said, I noticed something curious, and a gastroenterologist said that while it was not uncommon, he could offer no explanation. I thought maybe you might have a theory.

On the last day of 2015, the longest serving member of President Obama's Cabinet, Arne Duncan, quietly stepped down from his official position as what the Washington Post called "the most powerful education secretary in U.S. history." The federal government now provides about 10 percent of the money spent on public schools, and Duncan used that money, to an extent like never before, to impose his will on local schools.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on PSA screening for prostate cancer. As an oncologist who specializes in prostate cancer, I wanted to add that it is important for patients to understand that 1) screening is very different from diagnosis and treatment, and 2) that the PSA test is a very good and accurate test that does exactly what it is supposed to do: measure the level of PSA in people with prostate cancer. I've heard so many patients, even with metastatic prostate cancer, saying, "I read in the news that PSA is a bad test and ...

Weeks before Ammon Bundy and his pals showed up at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to protest five-year federal prison sentences imposed on two Oregon ranchers, a friend alerted me to the ranchers' story. Thanks to federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws, the government was sending Dwight and Steven Hammond, who had served earlier sentences, back to prison for the same crime. The draconian sentencing that warped the drug war had bled into home on the range.

DEAR DIDI: We have a beautiful 8 month old male bulldog. He is sweet and very sociable with our family and friends. However, he has one issue that is very disconcerting. We can give him treats by hand and he takes them gently, but if we go near his bowl he growls and lifts his lips. My husband attempted to take the bowl from him for being rude and he bit him. He will also act this way over meat bones but not toys. We feel like he is bipolar, or a Jekyl and Hyde. Is there any way to ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your recent column on pseudogout, you didn't discuss treatment. I had it earlier this year, and after a while it went away. It was very painful. Is there any medication to help it? -- D.B.

In 2013, Americans learned about a new epidemic - affluenza. As psychologist G. Dick Miller explained the phenomenon, children of wealthy parents are taught not the golden rule but "we have the gold, we make the rules." The unsympathetic carrier of the affliction - Ethan Couch, Miller's client, then 16 - pleaded guilty in 2013 to manslaughter charges after he killed four innocent people in a drunken driving accident. Prosecutors recommended that Couch serve 20 years in prison. The sentencing judge said she was not moved by the "affluenza" defense, but nonetheless, she chose to sentence the son of privilege to 10 ...

When I heard that the Omnibus spending bill that President Obama signed a week before Christmas includes a provision allowing more foreign guest workers, my first reaction was disbelief. We were repeatedly told by Republican leaders that the must-pass spending bill contained only what was absolutely necessary to pay our troops, bondholders and Social Security recipients, and we couldn't risk shutting down the government with provisions to defund Planned Parenthood or prohibit Obama's executive actions.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old woman who had successful cataract surgery two months ago. However, it left me with swollen eyelids and noticeable pouches under both eyes. My doctor advised that some people have a reaction like mine. I was told that the swelling should abate by six months. The healing was excellent, and I see fine, with the exception of the drooping eyelids. The seniors I know who had cataracts out and lenses in did not have a reaction like mine.